Cover fastening and releasing device.



- W. H. SMITH.

COVER FASTENING AND RELEASING DEVICE.

APPLICATION II'LED IEZBJ], 1912.

1,0293405, Patented June 11,1912.

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iitueooeo COLUMBIA PLANO QRAPH COUWASHINOTONI n. c.

WADE HAMPTON SMITH,

0F MACON, GEORGIA.

COVER FASTENING AND RELEASING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVADE HAMPTON SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Macon, in the county of Bibb and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cover F astening and Releasing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The primary object of this invention is to provide novel means for cooperation with a receptacle and the locking means therefor for releasing said locking means and successively raise the cover of said receptacle.

My invention is capable of application to various and numerous characters of receptacles and I do not wish to be confined to the particular form illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

For a full understanding of the present invention, reference is to be had to the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a re ceptacle cover provided with the preferred form of locking means; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a receptacle as applied for use in connect-ion with water meters, showing the cover locked in engagement with said receptacle; Fig. 3 is a view in elevation similar to Fig. 2, the receptacle being broken away to more clearly show the operation of the means for releasing the lock of the receptacle and raising the cover. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the rock shaft used with my device, and Fig. 5 is a partial view of the key lever for releasing the lock and raising the cover of the receptacle.

Throughout the following detail description and on the severalfigures of the drawings, similar parts are referred to by like reference characters.

In carrying out my invention, a construction embodying the same comprises a receptacle 1 having a cover 2 seated thereon. At one end of the under side of the cover is formed a locking lug 3 adapted to interlock with a projection 4 on one end of the receptacle 1. At the end opposite the lug 3 is mounted for pivotal movement a rock shaft 5 having its hearings in the spaced eyes 6 carried by the cover 2. The opposite ends of said rock shaft 5 are bent downwardly to form the movable locking catches 7 adapted to be engaged wit-h the locking lugs 8 carried by the end of the receptacle 1. It will be apparent that a cover provided Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 8, 1912.

Patented June 11, 1912.

Serial No. 676,475.

with the locking means aforesaid is applied to the receptacle by placing the end having the locking lug 3 on the receptacle and by lowering the opposite end, the normally depending catches 7 will automatically engage with the lugs 8 to lock the cover in position on said receptacle.

As is most clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, the rock shaft 5 is reduced at its central portion as indicated at 5 and the cover 2 is formed with an open end slot 2' just above the reduced portion 5.

To gain access to the contents of the receptacle a novel form of key lever is employed and designated in the drawings by the numeral 9. One end of the lever 9 is formed with a hook 10 and said lever is inserted through the slot 2 of the cover and engaged over the reduced portion 5 of the rock shaft 5. I Vith a side of the receptacle 1 as a fulcrum, a slight downward movement on the lever 9 will disengage the catches 7 from the lugs 8 to release the lock ing means of the cover and by a further downward movement of the lever, said cover is raised a desired amount to permit of its removal from the receptacle.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings I have shown the receptacle as applied for use in connection with a water meter 11 but it will be obvious that the construction is equally applicable to service boxes, man-hole covers or similar receptacles.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In combination, a receptacle, a .cover therefor, locking means cooperating with said cover to hold the same closed with respect to the receptacle, and a lever adapted to be engaged with said locking means to release the same and upon continuous movement to raise the cover aforesaid.

2. In combination, a receptacle, a cover therefor, means including catches pivotally mounted on said cover and adapted to automatically engage the receptacle to lock the same closed, and a lever adapted to be engaged with said means to release the catches and upon continuous movement to raise the cover.

3. In combination, a receptacle comprising locking projections, a cover therefor, a rock shaft pivot-ally mounted on said cover and having normally depending locking catches for interlocking with the projections aforesaid, said shaft having a reduced portion intermediate its ends the cover aforesaid having a slot adjacent the reduced portion of the rock shaft, and a key lever adapted to be inserted in the slot in the cover, and formed with a hook to engage the reduced portion of said rock shaft whereby the catches may be disengaged from the locking projections upon movement of the lever and the cover raised by a further movement of said lever.

4. In combination a receptacle, a cover therefor, locking means cooperating with the cover to hold the same closed with re- In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature 26 in presence of two witnesses.

\VADE HAMPTON SMITH.

Witnesses M. H. SHEPERD, Z. H. GILREATH.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained-for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

